Per Aspera Ad Inferi
by AlElizabeth
Summary: AU to S.14, Ep.17 (Game Night) Nick is successful in resurrecting Lucifer. Sam, Dean, Cas and Jack fight to destroy him once and for all.


"Come on Sammy, you stay with me," Dean begged through gritted teeth, "Look at me."

Sam's eyes were closed and they didn't open again.

Where the hell was that ambulance?

Reaching down with trembling fingers, Dean felt his brother's neck for a pulse- he couldn't find one.

"No, no, no," Dean whispered but he wouldn't give up.

"Donatello!" he looked up at the older man, "Hold this on Sam's head!"

"What're you going to do?" Donny asked as he crouched down and placed his hand on the blue cloth.

Dean shrugged out of his coat and put his hands on Sam's chest, above his heart, "Once I start I can't stop until the ambulance gets here."

Donatello just stared at Dean.

The hunter started chest compressions, focusing only on the rhythm, straining his ears for the sound of approaching sirens, hoping, praying that they weren't too late.

_SPN_

Mary and Jack rushed into the abandoned cabin; it took them only seconds to find Nick. He was standing in a ring of salt with his back to the doorway, appearing to be looking at something out the window.

Mary inched into the room, "Nick?"

The man turned around, smiling. His bloodstained shirt had been wiped clean, his battered face healed miraculously.

"Close," Lucifer said, "But that only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

The fallen angel's eyes found Jack standing behind Mary and his smile widened, "Hey there, Jackie-boy."

Mary slid her angel-killing blade into her hand and rushed the angel. With a wave of his hand, the woman was thrown through the air to smash into the window and fall to the floor, glass raining down upon her.

"Really?" Lucifer chided.

"Mary!" Jack shouted and hurried forwards.

The huntress picked up her head, "Don't!"

Jack staggered to a stop, his expression confused.

Mary got onto her hands and knees, grabbing the blade as she did so, and then climbed to her feet.

"I guess we're going to do this," Lucifer said, sounding bored.

"Don't touch her!" Jack shouted.

"This won't hurt," Lucifer told him and waved a hand, Mary was thrown through the now-broken window and dashed against the ground outside.

"No!" Jack cried and ran forwards.

Lucifer waved his hand again and sent his son sailing through the window. Jack pinwheeled in the air, crashing down onto the ground, striking his head, consciousness leaving him abruptly.

The Devil left the cabin and appeared outside, standing in front of Mary. She peered up at him blearily, blood dripping down the side of her face. Bending down, Lucifer grabbed the front of her shirt and picked her up.

Mary tugged at the angel's hand but he was too strong and wouldn't release her.

"I gotta say, Mary," Lucifer grinned, "It's been a real treat spending time with you but I think you've overstayed your welcome."

"Screw you," the huntress growled and spat in the angel's face.

Lucifer didn't even flinch. He raised his free hand snapped his fingers.

_SPN_

Sweat was dripping from Dean's face and his arms were aching by the time the paramedic took over doing chest compressions.

Dean sat back on his heels, wiping his face on his shirt.

"What happened?" the other paramedic asked.

"Someone tried to carjack us," Dean replied, the lie coming easily.

The paramedic nodded and grabbed a defibrillator, beginning to set it up while his partner continued with compressions.

Donatello, who had moved away once the ambulance had arrived, reached down and put a hand on Dean's shoulder.

The hunter didn't look anywhere but at his brother as the paramedics worked quickly but steadily, medical jargon filling the chilly air around them.

Come on, Sammy, Dean encouraged his sibling silently; come on, you'll be okay, you have to be.

After what felt like forever, the paramedic using the defibrillator again, and again, and again, and again, he looked up at the small screen attached to the stretcher he and his partner had brought down from the ambulance. There, a single cheery ping sounded, and then another, and another, and another.

"We've got a pulse."

"Let's get him inside," the other paramedic said and together they carefully moved Sam onto the stretcher.

Donatello squeezed Dean's shoulder and the hunter felt a measure of hope.

The paramedics strapped Sam onto the stretcher, pulling it up so its yellow legs lengthened and began wheeling it towards the ambulance.

"You'll be following us?" one of the paramedics asked.

Dean nodded. Donatello reached down, picked up the hunter's coat and handed it to him.

The hunter climbed behind the wheel of the Impala and waited for the older man to settle down in the passenger's seat.

"Sam will be okay now," Donatello told Dean as he turned the key in the ignition and drove forward slowly, following the ambulance as it headed towards the road, sirens blaring again and lights flashing, telling other drivers that it was in a hurry.

"I hope you're right," Dean muttered.

_SPN_

Jack woke slowly. His head was aching and he couldn't remember why. Carefully he peeled his eyes open and found himself staring at yellowed winter grass and hard earth. He shivered, cold and sat up.

Where was he?

He peered confusedly at a ramshackle building in front of him- a cabin or cottage of some kind- and then it all came back to him in a rush.

Lucifer… his father…was once again alive, walking the Earth. Nick had succeeded in resurrecting the fallen angel.

"Mary?" Jack called, looking around.

He didn't see her.

"Mary?" Standing somewhat shakily, Jack turned around, eyes raking the area for any sign of the blonde huntress.

"Mary!"

_SPN_

"Cas," Dean pressed his phone to his ear, hunched in a molded plastic chair in the hospital's waiting room, Donatello flipping through a magazine beside him, "Sam's been hurt… I don't know how bad yet but he's at the hospital. We… we may need you."

Dean lowered the cell and ended the call.

He shook his head and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Cas wasn't answering his phone and neither was his Mom. He tried not to worry though. Whatever Cas was up to he could handle himself and Mary was a hunter, and Jack was with her; Dean knew the kid wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Sighing, Dean rubbed his face with his hands.

"How long is this going to take?" he muttered.

_SPN_

Jack stared down at the pile of grey ash that had once been Mary Winchester. Guilt washed over him like a tide. Not only had he failed to stop Nick from bringing Lucifer back into the world but he also had failed to protect Mary.

Sam and Dean were going to be so disappointed in him. Unable to face the brothers just yet, wanting time to figure out just how to tell them he'd messed up, again, Jack turned around and walked into the forest behind the cabin.

_SPN_

"Family of Sam Forge?" a nurse called and Dean stood up so quickly his startled the elderly woman sitting beside him.

"I'm his brother, Dean, and this is our Uncle Donny," he pointed to Donatello.

The woman nodded, "Come with me, please."

"Is Sammy okay?" Dean asked. The day had crawled by with the speed of a snail. The sunset was now shining blood red daggers through the windows of the waiting room.

Dean had heard nothing from either Castiel or his Mom but he told himself not to worry. He couldn't afford to worry about them until he knew if Sam was going to be okay or not.

"I'll let the doctor explain it to you," the nurse led them down a labyrinth of corridors that smelled of bleach and sadness.

Explain what? Dean wondered and met Donatello's gaze.

The nurse led the two into the Intensive Care Unit, past an antechamber where another nurse sat at a desk and looked up when they entered.

"This is Sam Forge's family," their nurse told her co-worker.

The nurse nodded rather gravely and they went through the door. The ICU was a short hallway with three rooms on each side. The nurse paused in front of the first door on the left.

"Dr. Brownley is waiting for you," the nurse opened the door and Dean stepped into the room first.

He saw a middle-aged man in a white coat bending over a person lying in a hospital bed. The doctor looked up and turned around.

"You're Sam Forge's family?"

Dean replied, "I'm his brother and this is our Uncle."

The doctor nodded.

Dean stepped forward and caught sight of his sibling. Sam's eyes were closed, his head wrapped in white bandages that looked like a turban, a heart monitor, and a IV line attached to him.

"Your brother had a fractured skull," Dr. Brownley explained, "He needed emergency surgery to release the blood filling up his skull and pressing in on his brain."

"Is he… will he wake up?" Dean asked, his mouth dry.

"He is in a coma right now," the doctor explained and the hunter looked up at him sharply.

"We've done all that we can but the damage to Sam's brain is profound."

"What does that mean?" Dean asked, terrified of the answer.

"It means that even if your brother does wake up he will suffer from the results of brain damage for the rest of his life."

Dean shook his head.

"At this point, if Sam does wake up, it's highly likely that he will not be able to care for himself. He'll probably not be able to feed himself or dress himself; he may not even be able to talk or walk. He may be incontinent. If your brother woke up he would need round-the-clock care for the rest of his life."

"Dean," Donatello whispered.

"It's a miracle he's just breathing on his own right now," Dr. Brownley told them.

"You don't know Sam," Dean argued, "He's strong. He'll be okay. You'll see."

The doctor smiled sadly.

"If there are any changes in his condition," he told them, "there is a nurses' call bell by the bed."

The doctor left. Dean glared at the man's departing back before grabbing a chair set aside for visitors and pulled it up to Sam's bed. He reached out and took hold of his sibling's hand.

"Screw Dr. Brownley," Dean muttered to his brother, "He doesn't know what he talking about."

Donatello stepped forwards, cautiously.

"Dean," he spoke quietly, "I know you and Sam have come through some pretty tough stuff but this… this is serious."

"What are you saying?" Dean asked, looking up at the older man, squeezing his brother's hand; Sam's fingers cool and clammy beneath his.

"I'm saying that maybe this time, things won't work out for the best."

Dean shook his head, "You're wrong. We've got Cas… We've got Jack… they'll fix him. When they get here, they'll fix Sam and he'll be fine."

"Then why haven't they called you back?" Donny asked.

Dean didn't answer.

_W_

Dean drained the dredges of his coffee long ago gone cold and tossed the Styrofoam cup into the trash. He pulled his phone out and glanced at the time- three am- and sighed. Hours had passed and still he had not heard from Cas or Jack and his Mom. Sam remained asleep, unresponsive.

Donatello had left the room ages ago, choosing to sleep on the couch in the anteroom but Dean refused to leave Sam's side.

Running his hand through his hair, Dean sighed.

"Where are you guys?" he muttered.

He looked up when the door to Sam's room opened, thinking it was maybe the nurse, when Nick stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

"You-" Dean stood up, hands balled into fists, ready to kill the man who had hurt his brother so badly.

"Sit down, Dean," Nick said and waved a hand lazily. Dean dropped back into his chair painfully.

"You're not Nick," Dean growled and Lucifer smiled.

"How'd you guess?" the fallen angel asked.

"What do you want? To kill us?" Dean asked.

Lucifer stepped forward, right up to the bed and looked down at Sam.

"Of course," the Devil said, "But after everything, it would be a pity to do so quickly."

"Don't you touch him," Dean growled.

He watched helplessly as Lucifer raised a hand and put it against Sam's cheek.

"Hm," the fallen angel muttered, "This won't do."

"Get your filthy hands off him!" Dean snarled.

"Relax," Lucifer admonished, "Since Cas and Jackie-boy aren't around, I thought I'd help you myself."

"Where are they?" Dean asked.

"How should I know?" Lucifer asked.

"Where's my Mom?"

Lucifer smiled, "Now that is a question I can answer. But first…"

The fallen angel moved his hand so that his index and middle fingers were touching Sam's brow, just below the turban of bandages.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked.

There was a flash of light- the heart monitor suddenly beeping rapidly as Sam's pulse spiked- and then steadied again.

"What did you do?" Dean asked.

"I healed him," Lucifer said simply.

Dean narrowed his eyes.

"You'll thank me later," Lucifer replied.

"Mom, where is she?"

"Oh, yeah," the fallen angel commented, "I forgot about that."

"Just spit it out," Dean growled, "Where is she?"

Lucifer's gaze traveled towards the ceiling and he pointed upwards with one finger.

"I killed her quickly," he told Dean, "She didn't feel a thing."

"You're lying!" Dean snapped.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow, "You think so? Ask Jack the next time you see him."

Before Dean could say anything else, Lucifer vanished with a flutter of wings.

On the bed, Sam was stirring.

"Sammy," Dean turned his attention to his brother and the younger man opened his eyes.

"D-Dean? Wha-What happened?"

Dean smiled sadly down at his brother.

_W_

"I'm sorry I was not there to help you," Castiel told the Winchesters.

They had returned to the bunker mere hours ago- Dean having filled Sam in on what had happened since his fight with Nick while they drove- to await Cas and Jack's return.

Dean shrugged, taking a long drink of beer.

"You had your reasons," he muttered.

Sam sat across from him, staring silently at his own beer. He hadn't spoken much since waking up in the hospital.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" Cas ventured.

The younger brother shook his head, "I couldn't do it… I had a chance to stop Nick… and I couldn't go through with it."

"You were showing him mercy," Cas said quietly, "After everything he's done. That doesn't mean you failed."

Dean laughed humourlessly, "Yeah, Nick sure showed Sam mercy when he bashed his head in with a goddamn rock."

Sam stood up and walked out of the room, leaving his beer sitting untouched on the table.

Cas sat down at the younger hunter's vacated seat.

"Have you still not heard from your mother?"

Dean shook his head. He wasn't totally sure- was still holding out hope- that Lucifer had been lying when he told them he had killed Mary. The only way to know for sure however, was to hear it from Jack himself. But the kid was still AWOL.

"You don't think Lucifer's done something to Jack, do you?" Dean asked Cas.

"I don't know, Dean," the angel replied and took a sip of Sam's untouched beer.

_W_

Dean hurried down the hallway to his brother's room. He shoved open the door and saw Sam sprawled out on his bed, fully dressed, on top of the covers. Stepping up to his sibling, Dean shook his shoulder.

"Hey, Sammy, wake up," he encouraged.

The younger Winchester blinked, squinting at his brother.

"Jack's back," Dean told him.

_SPN_

Three pairs of eyes stared expectantly at Jack and he couldn't help but feel as though he was the one who had committed the crime.

"We were too late," he began, staring down at his shoes, "Mary and I couldn't stop him."

"Yeah kid," Dean interrupted, "We got the memo."

"I… I tried to stop Mary but she attacked him," Jack mumbled, "She tried to kill him but he was too strong."

No one said anything so he continued.

"He threw us through the window and I passed out," he told them.

"I tried to find her when I woke up but I… I couldn't… I didn't see her and… and then there was… ashes…"

Jack paused, "I knew it was her."

The Nephilim, still staring at his feet, jumped in surprise at a sudden crash and looked up. Dean was standing over the broken remains of a chair he had smashed against the wall.

"Dean-" Sam began but his brother stalked off.

Jack looked at Cas and Sam, afraid the hunter was angry at him.

"It's not you," Sam told him as though reading his mind.

_SPN_

"I'm sorry boys," Rowena's voice came through the cell phone that Dean had laid on the table, "I can't bring Mary back. You need a body and from what Jack's said, there's not enough left of your mother to resurrect."

Dean ended the call, glaring out at Jack, Sam and Cas.

"I'm going to kill him," Dean snarled, "Once and for all."

"Dean, we don't even know where he is," Sam told his brother.

The older man looked to Jack.

"You can find him," he said.

"Me?" he asked, taken aback.

"You're his son," Dean said, "You've got to have a connection or whatever. Nick used your blood to bring Lucifer back so maybe you can use that to help us find him."

"But I don't want to find him," Jack argued, "I don't want to go anywhere near him."

"I'm not asking you to come with us," Dean told him, "Just point us in the right direction."

"Dean," Cas interrupted, "You can't just-"

"What, Cas? I can't what?" Dean growled, "I'm done with this asshole. I've had it. I am not playing nice anymore. Not after everything- _everything- _he's done to us… to Sam, to you, to Jack, to Mom… he's not getting away this time."

"It's suicide," Cas whispered.

Dean turned to his brother, "Sam? You with me?"

For a moment Sam didn't answer but then he nodded.

"I choked the last time but I won't again," he told Dean.

Cas just stared helplessly at the Winchesters. Dean's crazy kamikaze ideas had finally managed to infect his brother.

"You're either with us or you're not," Dean turned to his friend, "What's it going to be, Cas?"

The angel looked from Dean to Sam to Jack.

"I cannot let you go alone," he told them.

Dean smiled grimly.

_SPN_

Jack sat with his eyes closed, the others silent, as he concentrated on finding Lucifer.

Even though Castiel thought Dean and Sam were simply going to their deaths, the hunters surprised him by preparing themselves for the fight with the Devil. They had packed the Impala with an array of weapons with which to battle the archangel. Angel-killing blades and holy oil and the angel-handcuffs had been gathered from all corners of the bunker and placed into Dean's beloved car.

Jack frowned, his hands curling into fists.

"Can-" Dean began but Castiel shushed him.

Sam looked at Dean, his expression full of trepidation.

After another minute or so, Jack's face relaxed into a small smile and he opened his eyes.

"I know where he is," he told them, pleased with himself.

Dean smiled, "That's great, kid."

"He's in Savannah, Georgia," Jack informed them, "In an old funeral parlour."

Dean nodded and stood up.

"You did real good, Jack," Dean said.

The boy stood up as well.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked.

"I want to come with you," Jack told them.

"I thought you didn't want to," Sam reminded him gently.

"I don't want to… not really, but I don't want you all to go alone," Jack told them.

Dean shook his head, "Listen, Jack, we really appreciate what you've already done for us but we… I think you should stay here."

The Nephilim's face fell, "But I can help!"

"Jack… remember you can't use your powers?" Dean told him.

"But-" the boy tried to argue.

"We'll call you if we need help," Dean put a hand on Jack's shoulder, "Promise."

"You swear?" Jack asked, looking very childish in that moment.

Dean smiled, "Cross my heart and hope to die."

Jack smiled.

"Call us if Lucifer changes his location," Sam told Jack and the boy nodded, telling them that he would as soon as there was any change.

The trio left the bunker without another word to the boy, climbed silently into the Impala and started off on the long ride to Georgia.

_SPN_

Dean insisted that he drive. Even throughout the night. Not stopping to eat, barely pausing to heed the call of nature before getting back on the road.

None of them spoke much. There wasn't a lot to say.

"Dean," Castiel spoke up after hours of silence, surprising the hunter, "Do you truly believe this will work?"

Dean didn't reply for a moment. Sam glanced at him, waiting to hear his answer.

"I honestly have no idea," Dean replied, "But we have the upper hand, we have the element of surprise."

"And when that's gone?" Sam asked.

"We have weapons," Dean told them.

"All right," Cas replied to Dean's unsatisfactory answer.

"Lucifer told you he wanted to kill us slow," Sam added quietly, "Maybe that'll give us a chance."

It was not exactly a positive thought but Cas thought the young man was right. If they could stay alive long enough, perhaps they would get lucky. It had happened before.

_SPN_

Night had come to the old city of Savannah by the time the Winchesters arrived. They drove slowly through the dark streets, searching for the old funeral home Jack had told them about.

"There," Sam pointed out the window of a large, redbrick Victorian house looming at the end of the street.

As they approached, they could make out a weather-beaten sign that read: Flowers & Sons Funeral Home.

Dean pulled into the alley between the funeral home and what appeared to be a lawyer's offices and cut the Impala's engine.

"You ready?" he asked no one in particular.

In the gloom, Sam nodded. Cas, sitting in the back, pushed his door open an inch.

Quietly they exited the car and walked around to the trunk. They gathered their weapons and the archangel handcuffs. Next, they poured holy oil from the large jug into three plastic water bottles.

Dean closed the trunk as quietly as possible and looked at Sam and Cas.

There was a side door to the funeral home and when Dean tried it, it was unlocked. He went first, stepping into the gloom.

He wished he'd thought to bring a flashlight when the door closed behind them and they were plunged into darkness. Then again, having a flashlight was sure to give away their position.

Dean moved forward down what appeared to be a service hallway, walking quietly, carefully, Sam and Cas following close behind.

They hadn't made it very far when there was a sudden rush of footfalls behind the trio and Cas, who had been in the back, yelled and suddenly the gloom was illuminated by a crackling orange glow as he drove his angel blade into a demon.

Four more demons advanced, stepping carelessly over their fallen comrade to get to the Winchesters. Dean was pinned against the wall with an arm across his throat before he could stab the demon in the chest. As the dying demon released him he searched in the gloom for his brother.

"Sam?" Dean called out, breathing heavily.

"Where are the others?" Cas asked.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, fear gripping his chest with icy claws.

Dean turned around, squinted down the hallway the way they had come, "Where is he? Cas, where is he?"

Unsure of where his brother was and terrified that he was in Lucifer's clutches, Dean started forward, Cas following after him.

"SAM!" Dean shouted, straining to hear any sound from his sibling.

"Dean!" a voice called in response and Dean rushed forwards, tugging open a heavy metal door to reveal a disused crematorium.

The bulb lights hanging from the ceiling flickered weakly but illuminated enough of the room for Dean to see his sibling, standing, facing Lucifer. Dean rushed forward and grabbed his sibling's shoulder.

Sam had a split lip and a growing bruise on his cheek from fighting the demons but otherwise seemed unharmed.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded.

Lucifer watched silently, untroubled.

Dean felt Cas come to stand on his other side, the angel's muscles tense, ready for a fight.

"Just three of you?" Lucifer asked.

Dean squeezed Sam's shoulder, "We've beat you with less before."

The Devil just smiled.

"What?" Dean asked.

"It's adorable that you think you can kill me," he said.

"We can," Dean snarled, "And we will."

Lucifer clicked his tongue.

"Even after I healed Sam?" he asked, "You should be thanking me."

"Screw you," Sam snarled, "You tried to kill me."

"That wasn't- Oh, you know what, never mind," the fallen angel commented, "If you insist on being ungrateful, that's perfectly fine with me. I giveth and I can taketh away."

Dean flinched when Lucifer snapped his fingers but nothing happened. Beside him, though, Sam let out a moan and collapsed.

"Sam!" Dean sank to his knees beside his brother.

Sam whimpered, his gaze unfocused and fearful. Dean tried to heave his brother up but the younger man couldn't or wouldn't move, he pawed uselessly at Dean's shirt.

"What did you do to him?" Dean asked, glaring at the fallen angel.

"I undid the healing I did in the hospital," Lucifer told him.

Dean's eyes widened and he looked down at his brother again, Dr. Brownley's words coming back to him.

"You bastard," he snarled.

"Oh don't worry," Lucifer said, "None of you will live long enough for Sammy to be a burden."

_SPN_

Jack paced around the map table in the bunker, waiting anxiously to hear any word from Cas, Dean and Sam. He'd waited hours already and with each passing minute it seemed his nerves only grew more and more agitated.

He knew they were worried about him using his powers, about how much of his soul he was burning away, but at the moment, his soul seemed like a trivial thing. What mattered to him was that his family came home. He knew that they had fought and won against Lucifer before but each time it had cost them something. Sam had been trapped in the Cage, Dean had been possessed by Michael… and that just didn't seem fair, it didn't seem right that they should keep having to pay when he could use his powers- the powers he'd inherited from Lucifer himself- to defeat the fallen angel once and for all.

Jack cast his mind back to the fight with his father months ago in the abandoned church, and how he'd failed. He'd failed to protect Sam. He'd failed to kill the archangel. Well, not this time.

Jack was stronger, he had better control over his powers. This time, he wouldn't lose. This time, his family would not have to sacrifice themselves.

He was going to help his family. He didn't care what they thought. He was going to prove himself to them, once and for all.

Jack smiled to himself and concentrated on the old funeral home at the end of a mature street in Savannah, Georgia.

_SPN_

Dean looked up when Cas reached out, hand towards Sam, to heal him.

"Don't," Lucifer warned.

"CAS!" Dean cried as the angel froze in position and Lucifer waved a hand, Castiel's body slammed into the opposite wall, weapon clattering to the floor.

Dean's eyes widened and he clutched his brother protectively when Lucifer began walking towards them.

"You stay away from us," Dean hissed, his threat useless.

There was a sudden sound of fluttering wings and Jack appeared in the room.

Lucifer's blue eyes widened slightly but he smiled.

"Jackie-boy," he crowed, "What a pleasant surprise."

Jack looked at Cas's unmoving body, at Dean hunched over Sam, and then back at Lucifer.

"You're hurting my family," he said.

Lucifer laughed, "They're not your family. They're just a ragtag group of misfits."

"They're my family," Jack insisted, stepping forward, "And you're killing them."

"What are you going to do about it, little boy?" Lucifer asked.

"I'm going to stop you," Jack promised.

Lucifer did not look in the least bit afraid, "Oh yeah? Just like the last time? You couldn't do it then, you needed Michael to do your dirty work then… but he's not around this time, is he?"

"I don't need him," Jack growled, eyes suddenly glowing yellow, "I'll get rid of you myself."

"All right, son-of-mine," Lucifer encouraged, "If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get."

Jack's angel-killing blade slid down his sleeve and he gripped the handle tightly in his palm.

Lucifer grinned and waved a hand, sending the boy flying into the side of the metal side of the cremation oven.

Jack picked himself up and ran at Lucifer, again the fallen angel simply waved his hand and the boy flew into the wall.

"Why don't you just stop while you're ahead," Lucifer asked as again, Jack scrambled to his feet.

"I will kill you!" Jack snarled, "I will protect my family!"

With Lucifer distracted, Dean grabbed the bottle of holy oil from his jacket and opened it, discarding the lid, he worked quickly, tearing at strip of fabric from the hem of his shirt, stuffing it into the mouth of the bottle and fishing out his lighter.

Sam watched all of this with a glazed expression, hands still clutching at Dean's shirt. The older brother wouldn't be able to move but he thought he might be able to lob the makeshift Molotov cocktail at Lucifer if he was close enough.

With his lighter at the ready, Dean waited.

_SPN_

Jack's palm was sweaty where he held the angel blade. Being slammed into the walls didn't really hurt but it kept him from getting close enough to Lucifer to use his weapon.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of movement and saw Dean holding a water bottle filled with holy oil.

"Why do you want to kill the Winchesters so much?" Jack asked, to try and distract Lucifer, "Why don't you just leave them alone? They're not a threat to you."

"You've a lot to learn," the fallen angel smiled, "It's not that their a threat, truly. It's more about the principle of the thing."

Jack began walking, slowly, so that if Lucifer followed him, the fallen angel's back would be to Dean.

"What will you do once you kill them? When there's no one around to oppose you?" Jack continued, moving cautiously.

"Celebrate of course," Lucifer told him, "Now with Michael gone, and, with the Winchesters gone, I can do whatever I want."

From over the Devil's shoulder, Jack watched Dean light the rag in the end of the bottle on fire and throw it.

The Molotov cocktail struck Lucifer in the back and he cried out as flames consumed him, turning him to glowing embers, and then black ash, in a matter of seconds.

As soon as Lucifer was gone, Jack ran over to Dean.

"He won't be gone long," Dean told him.

"Let me help Sam," Jack reached down to the younger Winchester.

"No," Dean argued, "Get ready for when Lucifer shows his ugly face again."

Jack froze and frowning, nodded. He reluctantly left the brothers and moved away.

Lucifer reappeared seconds later, his expression no longer amused.

"That hurt," he said, brushing invisible ash from the shoulders of his shirt.

He waved a hand at Jack and again, the boy crashed into the cremator, this time losing his grip on the angel blade, the weapon clattering to the floor and rolling underneath the enormous oven.

"Play time is over, I think," Lucifer said, stepping up to Jack as the Nephilim pulled himself up.

"I truly am sorry we couldn't work things out between us," Lucifer told him.

Jack, his eyes still glowing yellow, stared up at his father.

"It's been nice to know you, Jack," Lucifer raised a hand to the Nephilim, ready to kill, when there was the sound of metal scraping against concrete and then Lucifer froze for an instant before his head tumbled off his shoulders, electricity sparking from the devastating wound, his body fell backwards, his head rolling across the floor.

For a long moment no one moved, waiting, terrified that it was just a trick. Then, cautiously, Jack stood up and saw the black imprint of wings on the concrete floor of the crematorium, spreading out from Lucifer's back.

"Is he?" Dean asked and Jack quickly stepped over the body.

"He's dead," Jack crouched down beside the Winchesters and put a hand on Sam's brow.

Sam blinked and looked up at Dean, releasing his grip on his brother's shirt.

"You okay, Sammy?" Dean asked as Sam sat up.

"Y-Yeah," he looked around, "Jack, what are you doing here?"

"Protecting you," the boy answered.

"Cas," Dean stood and hurried over to the angel.

Bending down, he shook Cas' shoulder and the angel stirred.

"Dean? Is it over?" Cas asked and Dean nodded, "Lucifer's gone. For good."

Jack and Sam approached the spot where Cas was picking himself up.

"You used your powers when we told you not to," Castiel told Jack and the boy frowned.

"I-" he began but Cas shook his head. He reached out and put a hand on Jack's shoulder, "Thank you."

Jack looked at Cas' seeing sincerity in the angel's expression and smiled.

"I couldn't let him hurt my family," Jack told them. Dean reached out to put a hand on Jack's other shoulder but Sam beat him to it and pulled Jack into a tight embrace. Seconds later, Jack found himself in the middle of a hug with all three men. He closed his eyes and smiled, feeling a warmth growing inside him where emptiness had once reigned and he realized that it was the feeling of being truly loved.

**Author's Note:**

**Fanfic title based on a song of the same name by Ghost.**

**In English, Per Aspera Ad Inferi means "Through roughness to Hell". It is a play on words of Per Aspera Ad Astra, or "Through hardships to the stars."**

**Please leave a review if you enjoyed this story. **


End file.
